Curly-haired young William Holden (as Joe Bonaparte) has trouble deciding what is best for him - is it playing the violin, boxing "The Chocolate Drop", or kissing Barbara Stanwyck (as Lorna Moon)? No points for guessing the correct answer. There is evidence of good writing skills in the script, but the quips come off as unintentionally funny - and, they are too flowery for the subject matter (which seems old hat, anyway). Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy" may have sounded better on stage. For this cast, Italian accents stick to the scenery like spaghetti. Lee J. Cobb, Joseph Calleia, and Sam Levene do not duck. One of the better lines is Holden's response to Stanwyck's initial brush-off, "See you in 1960, maybe you'll be somebody by then!" she says. Indeed.<br /><br />*** Golden Boy (9/5/39) Rouben Mamoulian ~ William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, Lee J. Cobb